When you see a leaf, do you also see a design opportunity? In the second post of this 7-part series spotlighting how artists can curate and design bedding collections, Spoonflower artist Julia Schumacher tells us how she created this stunning botanical collection, and how it started with a plant design. Each post in this series looks at one bedding collection selected for our 2023 Summer/Spring Lookbook, and includes artist tips as well as notes from Spoonflower’s Senior Manager of Merchandising Emerson Jones on why she chose to feature each collection.
Julia Schumacher
Julia Schumacher is a Textile Designer from Tübingen, Germany. Her passion is graphic, abstract and large floral designs. Inspired by nature and travel, she summarizes her impressions in a design with reduced color and form.
Julia’s Tips for Curating and Designing Bedding Collections
1. Look for your main motifs.
I am a leaf lover. And, not surprisingly, leaves and foliage are main motifs in my work. For this collection, I chose my design Sansevieria as the central piece/hero design, while the other designs play around and frame the theme with its colors and textures.
2. Pay attention to common themes over the history of your work.
Don’t be afraid to mix and match designs from a range of time periods. The designs in this curated bedding collection come from different years. My design Sansevieria is from 2008. The design Boho Indian Linen is from 2016. I developed the design during my sabbatical in South America, I think I was in Peru at that time. And I painted Pomelo Dots for a summer collection last year. Although all designs come from different times, they all fit together through their reduced color palette.
3. Think about the type of energy you want the design to create.
When you design or curate a bedding collection, you can think about what atmosphere or look you want to create beforehand. For example, in this collection, the atmosphere is tropical and calm.
Some types of questions you can ask yourself are:
• What type of environment would you like to create for someone sleeping?
• What colors might they already have (or want) in their bedroom?
• Which look or trend or era would you like to present?
All of this can have an impact on your collection. You might want to start with a mood board, color palette or vision board.
How does your experience curating this collection affect how you’ll design collections moving forward?
I think it’s good to develop timeless designs that integrate with others without appearing superimposed. Simple designs can often provide the basis for new combinations. I don’t want to develop designs that won’t work after one season. As a designer, it is important to me to design sustainably for the future, so that the customer can enjoy this design for a long time.
Take a Closer Look at Julia’s Collection
Learn How This Collection Caught Spoonflower’s Eye
To learn why this collection caught Spoonflower’s Senior Manager of Merchandising Emerson Jones‘s eye for inclusion in our Summer Lookbook, we asked her to share why it stood out:
“This neutral, tropical, Bohemian-inspired bedding set evokes the feeling of a luxury island resort that makes me want to tuck in and order some room service. The soft beige and sage palette really highlights the soft, supple finish of our 100% Italian Cotton Sateen sheet sets, duvets and shams. The plants on the extra-long lumbar pillow were the anchor design for this collection. We opted for more simple patterns for the duvet, sheets and shams to keep this look accessible to a wide range of personal styles.”
Want More? Check Out the Rest of the Series
Next Up, Learn How to Market Your Bedding Products!
About the Author
